It’s the end of the year, which means it’s time for all the Best of 2018 lists you can handle. While you can certainly look forward to plenty more to come running down the best movies, TV, and more of year here on Collider, the fact is most awards contenders are still in theaters, and sometimes when you’re home for the holidays, you just want to watch what you can at home. With that in mind, we’ve put together a list of the best movies of the year that you can watch right now on Netflix.
Naturally, that means there are a Netflix originals on this list, and there’s no denying that the streaming service has upgraded their original film content in recent years, but there’s also a number of box office blockbusters and indie hits hiding in the weeds of the almighty algorithm, so if you’re looking for the best movies of the year you can watch right now. We’ve got you covered with the best 2018 movies on Netflix below.
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Directors/Writers:Joel and Ethan Coen
Cast:Tim Blake Nelson, Tyne Daly, James Franco, Brendan Gleeson, Bill Heck, Grainger Hines, Zoe Kazan, Harry Melling, Liam Neeson, Jonjo O’Neill, Chelcie Ross, Saul Rubinek, Tom Waits, Clancy Brown, Jefferson Mays, Stephen Root, and Willie Watson
The Ballad of Buster Scruggsmay not go down as an all-time greatCoen Brothersmovie, but it helps to crystalize their themes on death and morality as clearly as some of their best works. The anthology movie contains six stories of varying tone from the riotous “Ballad of Buster Scruggs” to the deeply melancholy “Meal Ticket”, but they all have something do with death, with the western genre used as a cohesive baseline. While folks will argue over which shorts are the best (I personally haven’t been able to shake “The Gal Who Got Rattled”), even the weakest Coens is better than the best work of other filmmakers. Even if you’re not a Coen Brothers die-hard, there’s still plenty to enjoy and ponder in their Netflix movie. –Matt Goldberg
Writer/Director:Sandi Tan
A little bit punk rock, a little bit whimsical, and lovable all the way through,Shirkersis one of the more delightful documentaries in recent memory. The fascinating tale focuses on the case of a stolen film and it’s a doozy. In 1992,Sandi Tanand her friendsSophia Siddique HarveyandJasmine Kin Kia Ng(who is one of the most downright charming, hilarious people to be on screen this year) made Singapore’s first indie film “Shirkers,” but took a devastating blow when their creepazoid mentor Georges Cardona disappeared with the footage. When the film was recovered 20 years later, Tan took it upon herself to give their lost film new life in the form of a documentary, which uses footage from the original 16mm print along with plenty of nostalgia-packed memorabilia from their teen years to tell the tale of the making, loss and recovery of the film that should have been. It’s an intriguing tale in its own right, but Shirkers’ secret weapon are the women themselves and their complicated creative relationship, which gives the documentary a shine of crackling personality, making it a true pleasure to watch. —Haleigh Foutch
Director:Daniel Goldhaber
Writer:Isa Mazzei
Cast:Madeline Brewer, Samantha Robinson, Patch Darragh, Melora Walters, Imani Hakim, Devin Druid
This vibrant little dopplegänger thriller earned a cult of enthusiastic fans when it made the festival rounds this year, where it was immediately scooped up by Netflix out of Fantasia. And it’s easy to see why. Clever to boot, a bit sexy, and demented in all the right waysCamis a refreshing, candid look at the cost of our online identities and the terror of losing your sense of self. Led byThe Handmaid’s TalestarMadeline Brewer,Camfollows an ambitious online sex worker who wakes up to a nightmare when she tries to log onto her camming account and discovers her identity has been taken over by an exact replica. WriterIsa Mazzeipreviously worked as a cam girl herself and that unique perspective lends a sense of respect and dignity to sex workers that is too often missing in their on-screen depictions. Thrilling, beautifully shot and deliciously nauseating in that uncanny valley way,Camis a tightly crafted trip down the rabbit hole of identity. –Haleigh Foutch
Black Panther
Director:Ryan Coogler
Writers:Ryan Coogler and Joe Robert Cole
Cast:Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Angela Bassett, Daniel Kaluuya, Winston Duke, Forest Whitaker, Andy Serkis, and Martin Freeman
Marvel Studios has an excellent track record of crafting supremely entertaining movies, butBlack Panthermarks the MCU’s most mature, ambitious, and thematically complete film yet.CreedandFruitvale StationfilmmakerRyan Cooglerdigs into themes of isolationism and what it mean to be black in America within the context of an extremely exciting, visually enthralling superhero action film. That in and of itself makesBlack Panthernoteworthy, but the film also boasts terrific performances from folks likeLetitia WrightandLupita Nyong’o, whileMichael B. Jordanbrings to life one of the MCU’s best and most emotionally complex villains to date.Black Pantheris a stunning achievement for Marvel, and it’s one well worth revisiting just to soak in the attention to detail—both in terms of superheroics and complex themes—that Coogler threads throughout. –Adam Chitwood
Writer/Director:Gareth Evans
Cast:Dan Stevens, Lucy Boynton, Kristen Froseth, Michael Sheen, Mark Lewis Jones
The RaiddirectorGareth Evanstakes a turn from action to horror with the brutal occult horrorApostle.LegionstarDan Stevensleads the film as Thomas, a world-weary man who sails to a remote island in order to infiltrate the cult that kidnapped his sister and finds a whole lot more than he bargained for. Evans trades combat for carnage, delivering blood-soaked, sometimes barbaric set-pieces that will make you want to watch through the cracks in your fingers, five-year-old style. His bananas story is matched by a wild performance from Stevens, who throws himself at the wall as a man tormented by his past and terrorized by his present. We already knew Evans' films could pack a punch, but this time around, he’s slinging a switchblade. –Haleigh Foutch
Director:Claire Scanlon
Writer:Katie Silberman
Cast:Zoey Deutch, Glen Powell, Lucy Liu, and Taye Diggs
If you’re looking for a charming romantic comedy, but don’t want to rewatch something from a previous decade for the umpteenth time, you should definitely giveClaire Scanlon’s charmingSet It Upa look. The plot follows two beleaguered assistants (Zoey DeutchandGlen Powell) who decided to set up their bosses (Lucy LiuandTaye Diggs, respectively) in order to just get some precious free time away from their demanding jobs. However, with all their scheming, they start to fall for each other. you may see the romcom beats coming from a mile away, but they’re done so well and so effectively that you won’t mind. Plus, the film sizzles thanks to the outstanding performances from the dazzling Deutch and Powell, who should be the streaming generation’s Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks. –Matt Goldberg
The Endless
Directors:Aaron Moorehead and Justin Benson
Writer:Justin Benson
Cast:Aaron Moorehead, Justin Benson, Callie Hernandez, Tate Ellington, Lew Temple, Kira Powell
A testament to the power of just going out there and making your damn movie,The Endlessis a low-budget wonder that somehow manages to build a massive mythology and world of existential horrors with its modest means. FilmmakersAaron MoorheadandJustin Benson(who wrote, directed, edited, shot and starred in the film) return to the world of oppressive Lovecraftian horrors they built in their first filmResolutionand build out the mythology through the tale of two brothers who return to the cult they escaped as kids looking for closure. The end result is one of the most creative and satisfying genre movies of the year, with a wicked sense of humor and a slow-build set of horrors that creep up on you. –Haleigh Foutch
Director/Writer:Paul Greengrass
Cast:Anders Danielsen Lie, Jon Øigarden, Thorbjørn Harr, Jonas Strand Gravli, Ola G. Furuseth, and Ulrikke Hansen Døvigen
In 2011, a far-right terrorist exploded a bomb at a government office in Norway and then made his way to a youth summer camp on an island, where he opened fire and killed 77 people in total.BourneandUnited 93filmmakerPaul Greengrasscaptures this terrorist attack in excruciating detail in the opening half hour of22 July, but the film then moves on to the aftermath, where Greengrass contrasts the story of the terrorist—who was captured, affored an attorney, and sought to relay his political message—with that one one of his victims, a young boy who was shot in the head and faces a long road to recovery. The story is one of finding hope and courage in the face of absolute evil, and holds renewed relevance for 2018 as far-right groups are on the rise. This is a harrowing, emotional, and necessary film. –Adam Chitwood
Mary and the Witch’s Flower
The first feature film from the Studio Ghibli offshoot Studio Ponoc,Mary and the Witch’s Floweris pure, unadulterated delight from start to finish. The animated adventure follows a clumsy, well-meaning young girl inside the halls of a magical school where nefarious plans are at work. Mary is your average school kid in a quiet summer town until she stumbles upon the magical Fly-by-Night flower that imbues her with immense magical skill. Unfortunately, the effects are short-lived, but Mary takes the “smoke ‘em while you got ‘em” approach to magic, embracing the newfound world whole-heartedly. The film’s story is somewhat slight, but its wonders are immense, and while it owes a lot to its Ghibli predecessorKiki’s Delivery Service, there’s just something so spectacular about the magical sights found within the halls of Endor College. Lest I forget the most important thing, some seriously adorable animated cats. –Haleigh Foutch
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before
Director:Susan Johnson
Writer:Sofia Alvarez
Cast:Lana Condor, Janel Parrish, Anna Cathcart, Noah Centineo, Israel Broussard, and John Corbett
If you’re looking for a fun, sweet, YA romance to brighten your day, you won’t do much better on Netflix thanTo All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. Based off the novel by Jenny Han, the story follows Lara Jean (Lana Condor), a teenager whose worst nightmares are realized when five letters she wrote to her secret crushes are sent out without her knowledge. When she’s confronted by her old crush Peter (Noah Centineo), she’s afraid it could get in the way of her current crush Josh (Israel Broussard), so Lara Jean and Peter resolve to fake a relationship so they can get with who they really want to be with. Naturally, pretending to be together starts to create real feelings between the two. The film is a joy from start to finish, letting you relive a time when who “liked” you was the most important thing in the world, but without any of the trauma high school entails. –Matt Goldberg
